Slide damper for ventilating outlet



Oct. 27, 1959 c. J. scHEcK ETA!- 2,909,983

SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1957 INVENTORS CHHRLES J. SCHECK WILLIFIM SCHECK WW HTTDRNEY Oct. 27, 1959 c. J. SCHECK ETAL 2,

SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET Filed July 15; 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 M n 1W l y L F INVENTORS i9 5 CHHRLES J. SCHECK WILLI FIM SCHECK BY HTTDRNEY Oct. 27, 1959 c. J. SCHECK ETAL 2,

SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET Filed July 15, 1957 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 CHFIRLES J iK SCHE EI5I..13.\ WILLIHM SCHECK HTTURNEY Oct. 27, 1959 c. J. SCHECK EI' 2,909,983

SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET Filed July 15. 1957 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 v INVENTORS CHHRLES LSCHECK WILLIFIM SCHECK HTTURNEY' Oct. 27', 1959 c. J. SCHECK ETAL 21 9 SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET Filed July 15, 1957 5 Sheets-*Sheet 5 INVENTORS CHHRLES J. SCHECK WILLI FIM SCHECK HTTURNEY United States Patent SLIDE DAMPER FOR VENTILATING OUTLET Charles J. Scheck and William Scheck, New York, N.Y.

Application July 15, 1957, Serial No. 671,821

3 Claims. (Cl. 98- 101) This invention relates generally to ventilating apparatus, and more particularly has reference to ventilating devices of the type including a register mounted within a wall, said register being in communication with a ventilating duct, for the purpose of providing a ventilating outlet and conduit communicating with the interior of a room.

Conventionally, a ventilating means of the character described includes a register provided with a plurality of louvers, which louvers are operable from within the room to selected positions, for the purpose of controlling the amount and direction of flow of air into the ventilator.

One diificulty that has existed in connection with conventional ventilating devices of the character stated resides in the fact that pre-setting of the maximum amount of air that can flow into the device, independently of the louvers, is not generally possible. To this end, the invention includes a slide damper assembly, which is preset to provide an opening of selected size, with the setting being made in situ, according to the calculations made by the installer or by the contractor as to the maximum amount of air that should be permitted to flow into the conduit. In this way, the air flow, when subsequently installations under other conditions, thus reducing the overall cost of manufacture.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had positions in use during the adjustment and setting of theslide damper, the mounting being of the vertical type.

Fig. 2 is a view like Fig. 1 in which the device is adjusted ninety degrees for horizontal mounting, that is,

controlled during ordinary use of the ventilating device,

can never be caused-to exceed a predetermined amount.

Another object is to so form the slide damper assembly that once the setting is made, it will be preserved by securing of the damper fixedly in its selected position, in an arrangement such that the ordinary user, not familiar with the interior construction of the device, will not be in a position to vary the setting found proper.

Still another object is to provide, in a device of the character stated, aslide damper which will not only be adapted to provide a selected, maximum amount of air flow into the conduit, but also, will be arranged to control said flow with a high degree of accuracy, as distinguished from the ordinary louver type of register control, which is inherently incapable of permitting a completely accurate, minute variation of the size of the opening through which-air flows into the duct.

' Still another object is to provide an air register that can be attached to either a sheet metal or a masonry trunk duct, by the contractor, with maximum ease and speed, and without variation of the form and size of said ducts.

Another object is to provide, in an air register of the character stated, a plurality of different designs, capable of being readily modified to suit the particular requirements of the installation.

Still another object is to include, in the air register, separably assembled components that will permit the register to be fitted to walls of different sizes, as well as into spaces of different widths between the wall surfaces and the trunk ducts.

Still another object of importance is to form a venti lating device that will be adapted to be assembled through the use of interchangeable components, that is, the cornponents of the device usable in one particular installation may be rearranged or selectively employed in effecting for mounting in an arrangement in which the register is elongated in a horizontal rather than in a vertical direction.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the air deflector, per se.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the gasket and gasket rail.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slide damper box per se.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the collar, per se.

Fig. 7 is a view of the air register partly in top plan and partly in transverse, horizontal section.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view through the device, substantially on line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the guide rails per se.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a trunk duct fragmentarily, a modified form of the device being mounted on said duct, portions of the device being broken away.

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 1111 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a continuous gasket and gasket-retaining rail or flange, used in the modified construction shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

Fig. 13 is a view like Fig. 10 showing another modification.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, substantially on line 1414 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view, portions being broken away and other portions being shown in dotted lines, showing another modification.

Fig. 16 is a horizontal section transversely through the modified form shown in Fig. 15, as it appears when mounted in a trunk duct, substantially on line 1616 of Fig. 17.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view longitudinally through the trunk duct showing the modified form of Fig. 15 in place therein, taken substantially on line 1717 of Fig. 16.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-9 is adapted for mounting in a position such that there will be communication with a trunk duct, with an air deflector being mounted in back of the slide damper assembly of the air register.

This form of the invention includes a rectangular, sheet metal slide damper box 20, formed completely open at its front, and having a fiat back wall 22 (see Fig. 5) formed adjacent one end thereof with a rectangular, large opening 24 medially between opposite sides of the slide damper box.

Designated at 26 is an open rectangular, sheet metal collar (Fig. 6) so designed as to fit snugly into and be slidably telescoped within the open front of the slide damper box. In this way, with the slide damper box mounted, as to be described hereinafter, against a trunk duct, the collar may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly of slide damper box as necessary, to extend the full distance to the surface of a room wall W (Fig. 8). In other words, the slide damper box and the collar 26 cooperate to define an enclosure adapted to be readily adjusted to extend the full distance across the space between the trunk duct and the room wall, said enclosure having the opening 24 at the back thereof providing communication with the duct, with the collar opening forwai'dly in registration with an opening provided in the wall of the room.

When the necessary adjustment has been made, directly upon the site of installation, sheet metal screws 28 (Fig. 8) are threaded through the overlapping portions of the collar and box, to fixedly secure the same in the selected position of relative telescopic adjustment. The construction has the desirable advantage that no measurement need be made, and instead, the slide damper box can be mounted directly against the surface of the duct, after which the collar is merely adjusted inwardly or outwardly until its forward edge is in registration with the surface of the wall W, the sheet metal screws then 'being extended through the overlapping portions to effect the connection of the parts to each other,

Designated generally at 30 in Fig. 8 is a wholly conventional air register unit. Said register unit has not been shown in detail, since it is a completely conventional item capable of being obtained in the open market. It is suflicient to note that such a register unit generally comprises a rectangular frame, which may be slightly d-iminished in cross-sectional area in a direction inwardly from the surface of the wall, to permit the same to be fitted into a duct-like conduit opening into the trunk duct.

The air register unit further includes a plurality of louvers or slats connected for conjoint pivotal movement, so as to be adjustable to selected positions for controlling the amount and direction of air flow from the room into the register unit.

Further, designated at 32 is a conventional register face plate, which as usual is of grill-like formation, having a plurality of openings through which the air may pass into the air register unit 30. The face plate is mounted against the surface of the wall W, and has a plurality of openings receiving fastening elements which in turn extend into the openings provided in the register unit. For the sake of clarity, the register unit has been omitted in Figs. 1 and 2. Of course, when the register unit is engaged in the collar, it is connected to the collar by sheet metal screws such as those shown at 33 in Figs. 7 and 8.

As shown in Fig. 9, the invention includes a pair of oppositely but identically formed rails or guides 34, 'having confronting, longitudinally extending, rearwardly facing recesses 36 of right-angular cross section, cooperating with the back wall 22 of box 20 in forming parallel trackways or guide slots for the opposite side edge portions of a rectangular, wholly planiform slide damper plate 38.

The guide rails 34 are secured to the back wall at opposite sides of the opening 24, by means of screws 44 (Figs. 1 and 8), these being sheet metal screws that are threaded directly through the back wall. At one end, plate 38 (Fig. 1) has a fairly large aperture 40 adapted to receive the bit of a screw driver 42 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that said screw driver, when inserted directly through the face plate 32 from within the frame, can be engaged in the opening 40 for the purpose of shifting the plate 38 to a selected position in whichit extends in partially covering relation to the opening 24.

After the plate has been selectively positioned, the screw driver, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, is applied to a screw 46 extending through one of the rails and bearing against the surface of the plate 38 at one side of the plate. This is shown to particular advantage in Figs. 7 and 8; As will be noted, the screw 46 has a flattened end so that the screw will in eflect be a setscrew. The screw, when threaded into engagement with the surface of the plate 38, binds the plate in the selec e position of adjustment, and the plate will ordinarily remain in this position without ever being subsequently changed. The construction has the desirable characteristic that the setting is made directly on the job, according to the requirements of the particular installation. Subsequently, the setting is not affected by normal operation of the fusible link register by the resident.

Welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the back wall, and projecting rearwardly from said back wall, is a channeled deflector 48. Deflector 48 is arranged to open forwardly and upwardly, and at its lower end has an inclined wall 50 that extends to one end of the opening 24 as shown in Fig. 8. The deflector is in a position to cause air that passes through opening 24 to be deflected by wall 50 longitudinally of the deflector, for passage out of the open end of the deflector.

As shown in Fig. 3, the deflector has at opposite sides thereof outwardly directed, coplanar flanges 52 which bear against the back wall and are fixedly secured to the back wall. If it is not desired to spot weld the flanges to the back wall, screws can be extended therethrough, and in fact the screws 44 may serve the purpose of connecting the deflector to the slide damper box.

As shown to best advantage in Figs. 1 and 2, on the side walls of the deflector 48, at the open end thereof, there are secured channeled rubber bumpers or tips 54, which will bear firmly against the surface of the trunk ducts to eliminate vibration such as may ordinarily tend to occur when the blower of the ventilating system is functioning.

Gasket means is also provided to prevent leakage about the opening 24, that is, leakage about the connection of the slide damper box 20 to the wall of the trunk duct.

The means provided for this purpose includes, in the form of Figs. 1-9, a top gasket rail 56 of L-shaped cross section, to one leg of which is cemented or otherwise fixedly secured a flat gasket 58 that bears against the outer surface of the trunk duct. In the preferred embodiment, the gasket is continued to extend as at 60 (Fig. 8) all'about the perimeter of the slide damper box. The gasket rail can, of course, be extended correspondingly, said gasket rail being welded to the slide damper box in the illustrated arrangement, though being capable of connectio'nthereto by some other suitable means.

The trunk duct 62 is itself conventional, and as shown extends within the wall W, at a location inwardly fromthe surface of the wall. The trunk duct, on the site, is formed with an opening adapted to communicate with the interior of the slide damper box through the medium of the opening 24'of said box, with the air deflector being mounted entirely within the trunk duct. The installation is readily made, and on telescopic adjustment of the collar in respect to the slide damper box, in the manner briefly described herein, the device is ready for use, merely following setting of the plate 38, installation of the register unit, and attachment of the face plate 32.

Any readjustment of the position of the slide damper is easily effected. One need merely insert the screw driver bit as shown in Fig. 1, to loosen the screw 46, after which the plate 38 is repositioned by engagement of the bit in the opening 40. Then, the screw 46 is tightened once again, so as to lock the slide damper in place once again.

In Fig. 2, the adaptability for mounting of the device in a horizontally extending position is shown. The air deflector is mounted in the same position as previously shown, so that there is no change in the trunk duct or in the mounting of the air deflector therein. One need merely extend the slide damper box, the collar, the register unit, and the face plate 32 in a horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 2. The opening 24 will still communicate with the interior of the air deflector, and the plate 38 is adjusted by horizontal, rather than by vertical, movement. There is, of course, no change in the actual construction, and the rail 56 is merely secured to one of the side surfaces of the box 20, which side surface will now be facing upwardly as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be understood that the air deflector may be placed at either end of the air register, in this as well as in other forms of the invention that are to be described hereinafter.

It will further be understood that in some installations, the collar need not be necessarily used. In this 'case, the register unit will be attached to the slide damper box, rather than to the collar.

The sheet metal screws 44 will, of course, secure the assembly to the duct, and it will be seen that the installation can be swiftly and easily effected.

Referring now to Figs. -12, in this form of the invention the construction is identical to the first form, with the exception of the gasket rail. In Figs. 10 and 11, the collar, and the register unit, have been omitted for the sake of clarity. Further, the guide rails 34 and the damper plate 38 have also been omitted for the sake of clarity. It will be understood that these components would be the same, however, in the form of Figs. 10-12 as they would be in the form of Figs. 1-9.

In any. event, as will be seen from Fig. 11, the gasket rail is of continuous or endless, rectangular configuration, and has been designated at 64 (Fig. 12). The gasket rail includes a wholly planiform body, bounding a rectangular frame member 65 projecting forwardly from the body and snugly receiving the slide damper box 20 as shown to particular advantage in Fig. 10.

Openings are spaced uniformly about the periphery of the gasket rail or frame 64, and register with openings of a wholly planiform, rectangular, endless gasket 66 which also embraces the slide damper box and which is in face-to-face contact with the front wall of the duct 62, so that when screws 68 are extended through the registering openings into the wall of the duct, the gasket rail is fixedly secured to the trunk duct, with the gasket interposed between the gasket rail and duct. The gasket would be of any suitable sound or vibration-deadening material, such as felt, etc., this being well known in the art.

The rail can be fixedly secured to the slide damper box in any suitable manner as, for example, by spot welds as shown at 69.

As in the previous forms, the air deflector would have the rubber tips 54 hearing against the wall of the trunk duct.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 13 and 14, again components used in previous forms are capable of being employed, thus showing the versatility of the device in permitting different types of mountings while using fully interchangeable components. In this form of the invention, the register unit, the slide damper plate, guide rails, and collar have again been omitted for the purpose of clarity but would be the same as in previous forms.

In this form, there is no deflector within the trunk duct 62, the opening 24 opening into full and direct communication with the interior of the duct as shown in Fig. 14. In this arrangement, the slide damper box is merely shifted rearwardly within the trunk duct, within an opening of the duct snugly receiving the box 20. This is distinguished from the arrangement of the previous forms wherein the box-20 is in contact at its back wall 22 with the front wall of duct 62.

In this arrangement, the continuous, rectangular gasket rail 64 is employed as in the form of Figs. 10-12, and when spot welded to the slide damper box as shown at 69 in Fig. 13, and thereafter connected by screws 68 directly to the duct 62, serves to mount the box 20 fixedly within the provided opening of the duct 62.

In Figs. -17, there is shown another modification which differs slightly from the previous forms, although retaining the functional and structural characteristics of 6 said previous forms. In this arrangement, there are provided guide rails 72 of right-angular cross section, extending the full length of the slide damper box 20 and spot welded to opposite side walls of the slide damper box as shown at 73, along one leg of the rail 72. The other legs of the rails 72 are closely spaced from the back wall 22 to provide confronting trackwaysor guide slots for the opposite side edge portions of the plate 38. An adjusting screw74 is threaded through one of the rails, to bear against the plate 38 for holding the same in selected positions to which it is slidably adjusted in respect to opening 24.

The air deflector has been generally designated 76 and is coextensive with the slide damper box, as distinguished from the previous form in which the air deflector terminates at one end intermediate the ends of the slide damper box, and at its other end projects beyond one end of said box. In Figs. 15-17 deflector 76 has a channeled formation to include side walls 78, and said deflector also includes the inclined wall 80, which as shown in Fig. 17 extends obliquely to the length of the duct 62, within said duct. 7

The construction in this form of the invention is such that the deflector is integral with a rectangular collar 82, that is, the side walls of the deflector are continued forwardly to provide side walls of a collar 82. At its lower end, the Wall 80 (Fig. 17) is integral with one'end wall of the collar 82, while the open end of the deflector is bounded at one side by the top wall of the collar 82. The slide damper box snugly, slidably engages the collar 82, and may be telescopically adjusted therein to selected positions in respect to the deflector. back wall 22 of the slide damper box might in one installation intersect at one end with the lower end of the inclined wall 80, in the manner shown in Fig. 17. In another installation, however, the back wall 22 may be adjusted forwardly, that is, the slide damper box may project outwardly from the open, forward end of the collar 82, to provide for an adjustment in distance between the surface of the wall W and the Wall-confronting face of the duct 62.

In this form of the invention, there is againused a continuous, rectangular gasket rail 84, which may be braced by gussets 86 at its opposite ends, and which cooperates with the adjacent wall of the duct 62 in engaging a rectangular, endless gasket 88 therebetween.

Simplification of the installation operation is further achieved, through connecting elements shown to best advantage in Fig. 15. As shown, spot welded to and projecting forwardly from opposite side walls of the collar 82 are bendable sheet metal straps 90. To opposite side walls of the damper box are similarly secured forwardly projecting, bendable straps 92, one disposed adjacent one end of the box 20, and the other disposed adjacent the opposite end of said box.

The conventional register unit has been generally designated at 94 in Fig. 15, and has only been shown in outline. It would, of course, include the usual louvers, and also omitted for the sake of clarity in Fig. 15 is the register unit face plate.

In this form of the invention, the deflector and the integral collar are secured to the duct, by screws 96 (Figs. 16 and 17) passing through the gasket rail, at locations uniformly spaced about the periphery of said rail, said screws also serving to effect compression of the gasket.

Then, the slide damper box, which may be preassembled with the plate 38 and the rails 72 as shown in Fig. 15, is inserted bodily in the collar 82, to the Figs. 16 and 17 position. The straps are then bent' inwardly over the opposite side walls of the slide damper box, in bridging or embracing relation to said side walls. The straps 90 are thus formed into inwardly directed hooks, engaging over the side walls of the slide damper box to hold the same assembled with the combination air In other words, the I 7 deflector and collar, In the illustrated installation, the inner end of the inclined wall 80 serves as an abutment limiting movement of the damper box inwardly of the duct (Fig. 17), with the inwardly bent straps 90 limiting outward movement of the slide damper box.

Then, the register unit is inserted in the slide damper box, and the straps 92 are bent inwardly as shown in Fig. 16, into straddling relationship to the opposite side walls of the register frame. This completes the installation, except of'course for the mounting'of the face plate upon the device in the position shown inFigs. 16 and 17. The setting of the damper plate 38 is, of course, effected in the manner previously described herein. 7

It is seen that this arrangement permits a swift assembly of the several components, without the requirement of screws, welds, etc., so that installation on the job, to meet difierent requirements of the job, can be brought about swiftly and easily.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our 'invention,-it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an air register, a damper box having four sides, a rear wall and an open front, said rear wall having an opening therein, a collar constituted by an open rectangular member telescopically mounted within-said damper box, for adjustment of the collar to selected telescopic relationships in respect to the damper box to provide for disposition of the collar over the full distance between a duct and a wall surface of a room, a set of pivoted louvers in said collar, a deflector mounted on'the back surface. of the rear wall of said box, guide rails secured to the inner surface of said wall adjacent the top and bottom edges 'of the opening in-said rear wall, a damper plate slidably mounted in said guide rails for adjustment to selected positions controlling air flow through the pivoted louvers into the duct, Fone of said guide "rails having a threaded opening therethrough intersecting the damper plate, and an adjusting screw threadedlyengaged in said threaded opening and adapted to "bear against the damper plate in selected positions to which the damper plate'is adjusted.

2. In an air register, in combination, a duct having anbpening therein, an deflector extending through said opening into said duct, said deflector having a tubular body-opening upwardly into the duct, with a wall slanting inwardly downwardly 'to a closed bottom, an open reetaugular-shaped collar integral with said deflector and projecting forwardly thereof, a damper box having four sides and a rear wall slidably and adjustably mounted in said collar, said rear wall having an opening therein, guide 'rails inside said box, a damper plate slidably mounted in said box over said opening and guided by said guide rails, a louver unit in said damper box, straps of bendable material on opposite sides of the box and projecting outwardly therefrom for fastening the louver unit in thed am per box, and straps on the collar for securing the damper box in adjusted positions in the collar.

3. In an air register, in combination, a duct having an opening therein, an air deflector extending through said opening into the duct, said deflector having a tubular body opening upwardly into the duct, with a deflecting wall slanting inwardly and downwardly to a closed bottom, an open rectangular-shaped collar secured in said deflector and projecting forwardly thereof, a damper box having four sides and a rear wall slidably and adjustably mounted in said collar, said rear wall having an opening therein, guide rails inside said box on opposite sides of said opening, a damper plate slidably mounted in said box over said opening and guided by said guide rails, a louver unit in the damper box, straps of deformable material on opposite sides of said collar and projecting forwardly thereof for securing the louver unit in the damper box, said deflecting wall being inclined obliquely in respect to the duct and extending at one end in the path of inward movement of the box and constituting an abutment lirnitinginward movement of the box, the straps of the collar adapted to be hooked over the sides of the box to secure the box in the collar in adjusted positions.

References Cited "in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,006,858 Lobach Oct. 24, 1911 1,087,380 Johnson Feb. 17, 1914 1,524,145 Mitchell et al. Jan. 27, 1925 2,656,784 Benson Oct. 27, 1953 2,790,376 Kennedy etal Apr. 30, 1957 

